Danaa (Japanese gender and sex term)
‘’‘Dana’’’ (Japanese: ダナー, ‘‘danaa’’) is a Japanese term used in lesbian and transgender communities.
The term generally refers to a person who was assigned female at birth (AFAB) and is perceived as masculine in appearance, behavior, gender expression, or gender identity. Depending on the context, the term may include masculine lesbians, butch individuals, transgender men (FTM), and other people with masculine gender expressions.[1][2][3][4][5]
Etymology
The term is believed to derive from the Japanese word ‘‘danna’’ (旦那), meaning “husband.” It originated within Japanese lesbian communities and was used to describe people who occupied a masculine social or gender role.[1][2][3][4]
History
In Japanese lesbian and transgender communities of the early 2000s, the boundaries between lesbian, FTM, and other gender-diverse identities were often less clearly defined than they are today.[4]
During this period, ‘‘dana’’ was sometimes used as an umbrella term for people assigned female at birth who expressed masculinity or identified in masculine ways.[2][5]
